I thought I'd bring to the attention of the list an Industrial Action that
is occurring in Sydney's West atm. Workers at 'Mirotone' in Revesby
(Industrial Paint Company) were locked-out when negotiations broke down
over their new Enterprise Agreement.
Basically the company wants workers to give up their 9-day fortnight and
replace it with a 10-day fortnight., these conditions which were won back
in 1982 during other industrial action.
A 24hr Picket of the factory will begin on Monday 26th February at 6am. The
workers are locked out till the 5th March (baring a resolution) so if you
wanted to come down or send a message of solidarity (e-mail, fax, etc) I'll
provide details at the end of this e-mail.
NOTE: The Union involved is the LHMU (Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous
Union) which also covers many students working in the hospitality industry.
Yours in Union
Ben Donnelly
Community Liaison
UWS Bankstown
ph: (02) 9772-6488
fax: (02) 9774-3442
Mirotone Pty Ltd
21 Marigold St Revesby 2212
Media Release
----------
UWS Students Support Local Industrial Workers
Students at UWS Bankstown are throwing their support behind local industrial
workers 'locked-out' over an industrial dispute that involves the right to a
35hr week.
Workers at the 'Mirotone' Industrial Paint Company in Revesby staged a
'sit-in' of the factory floor on Thursday, when they were served with
'Lockout' notices preventing them from entering the factory for two weeks.
Workers were eventually escorted from the factory by police and security
guards and now plan to organise a 24hr picket of the factory, as well as
challenging the company's action in the courts.
The dispute centers around EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement)
negotiations to change the current 9-day fortnight/35hr week and replace it
with a 10-day fortnight/38.75hr week; a step which would effectively take
the worker's RDOs.
The UWS Bankstown Students Association passed a motion supporting the
actions of the Mirotone Workers:
We the Bankstown Students Association support the Mirotone workers in their
struggle to maintain their working conditions. The BSA contributes $100 to
the workers 'fighting fund' from the Community Liaison line item.
Carried unanimously
"The movement towards a 10-day fortnight only provides benefits for those
who own the factories. For workers, the stretching of a workload over an
extra day means less time for leisure and family, more pressure and more
stress", Mr Ben Donnelly (Community Liaison Officer) said.
"What the workers are doing now is important, not only in their own
struggle, but also in the broader struggle to improve conditions for workers
in Australia. What's happening on their workplace today is happening on
workplaces throughout Australia, the conditions and entitlements of workers
are being stripped away by the bosses and the government", Bankstown
Education Officer Mr Dave Wilcox said.
-----------
Lock-Out at Mirotone (Paint Company)
23rd February, 2001
Mirotone is an Industrial Paint company. It produces coatings and finishes
for furniture, floors, and metals (primers, undercoats, etc).
What:
- The owner of the factory has 'locked out' the Mirotone workers (unsure
about the number of workers involved)
- UWS Students will join workers on the picket line from Monday 6am.
Why:
- Because of negotiations around the workers EBA (Enterprise Bargaining
Agreement)
- Currently the workers have a 9-day fortnight (35hr week). This means
working 5 days in the first week, and 4 days in the second week (this occurs
because the workers work a little bit extra each day, earning the day off)
- The owner wants to change this to a 10-day fortnight/38.75hr week (which
would effectively take their RDOs)
- These conditions have been in place since 1982., entitlements won by
striking Paint Workers
Background:
- There has been industrial action at the Mirotone factory 'on and off'
since November 2000.
- On Thursday 23rd February (12:30pm), workers received 'Lock-Out' notices,
which then resulted in a 'sit-in' of the factory floor.
- At 2:45pm workers were escorted from the factory by Police and security
guards
- The is a picket-line outside the entrance to the factory. From Monday
night it will become a 24hr picket, expected to last 2 weeks.
- There are currently 6-8 underskilled scab workers inside the factory at
the moment. Workers at Mirotone have been getting support from other paint
factories in the area., they are starting up a fighting fund to help sustain
then during the picket.
- Mirotone workers are members of the LHMU (Liquor Hospitality and
Miscellaneous Union)
Contacts:
Steve Bateman (LHMU) - 0401 762 766
Ken Phillips
Ben :)
Ben Donnelly
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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